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At Just 4 Our Babies store you will have access to instant downloads for all of my products. To purchase any product just click on it's picture in the right hand column of this blog. If you have tried to reach me, and are expecting a reply, make sure you have added 4mybabiesscraps@gmail.com to your contact list. Otherwise my reply may never reach you. At times I have had problems with my e mails ending up in SPAM folders.If you have any trouble with anything you have purchased to download at my store please contact me at: 4mybabiesscraps@gmail.com

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Monday, August 31, 2015

Here is your freebie for today...as always the link is at the bottom, BUT, I have a very personal, very special update I would like you to read. It will help you understand why I have been away from scrapping for so long.To read that message, please, CLICK HERE

This summer we took a family vacation to Maui in hopes that having Brady near the ocean would have a positive effect on his disability. We had no idea that this trip would effect him as profoundly as it did! Maui really was such a magical place for him!

Here is a video of Brady saying "Beach"! For most people this might not be a big deal but for us, for him it is HUGE!

If this is your first visit to my blog, Brady is our 8 year old, autistic, essentially non verbal son. For him, saying "Beach" as clearly as he does in this video is extraordinary! If you would like to read more about the amazing things Brady did during his visit to Maui, please read this post: CLICK HERE

Thanks!

Here is a picture of Hubby and the boys...Brady rarely looks and the camera, and this picture is priceless because he is actually HUGGING his brother! I love it!

We would like to take Brady back to Maui for at least 6 months...maybe even permanently so he has the chance to make even further improvements. We desperately want our son to have the chance to have a normal life.BUT, we need your help! There are some obstacles to getting him back there. If you want a more in depth explanation of exactly how being on Maui for 3 weeks has changed Brady's life, and how you can help, CLICK HERE!

There are several levels of helping. and EVERY little bit will help! It all adds up! So please just help at a level that you are comfortable with!

**But please note that due to the paypal fees that are collected on every purchase the store cart has a $1.00 minimum.**

If you don't scrapbook, but would like to learn...an easy program for doing digital scrapbooking is My Memories. AND since I am a designer at their store I can get you a discount on the software if you use this CODE:

Lastly, I really would prefer that you get something in return for helping...BUT, if none of these options interest you because you don't scrapbook and you have no desire to do so, but you still want to help Brady in some way, you can donate through your paypal account to mine by clicking on the "send money" tab at the top of your paypal account. Just be sure to click on the "send money to friends and family" option or paypal will take a portion of your donation as a fee. You can send a donation to mdabacon@gmail.comWhat ever option you choose to help, please know that we sincerely appreciate any and all help you are willing to provide. With your help we will have a chance for a renewed HOPE for a functional future for our son!

For all my loyal fans...even though it has been a very long time since you saw anything new from me...I have TWO new kits at the store that were previously only exclusive to the My Memories Store!To get "Gone Fishing" CLICK HERE

If you read the update that was posted HERE I want to say Thanks for taking your time to read all of that, I know it was super long. It is not easy to share something so personal, and it is especially not easy to ask friends, and friends of friends for help, so thanks for taking your time to read our update on Brady!PLUS...as a GIANT THANK YOU from me, if you purchase the "Hope For Brady MEGA Bundle" OR the "Buy My Store" Deal from today on (does not apply to past purchases)...you will get a group discount of 25% automatically added to ALL of your future purchases FOREVER! IF you can afford to do so, Please consider one of those options. :-) If you can not afford to help, please don't even consider it. YOUR family comes first! But if you still want to help in some way... just help me get the word out about Brady's amazing success! Please log into your Facebook and share this post:

Stop by my blog for a back to school FREEBIE.PLEASE be sure to read this VERY PERSONAL update from me. I know it is...

Plus...if you have any interest in the natural medicine, aromatherapy, and the wellness coaching things I am learning to help Brady, I have created a wellness blog. I try to post as I learn...but sometimes life gets in the way. You can sign up for the newsletter in the top right corner of that blog to get an e-mail when I do post.

Come learn with me!!

Be sure to read this POST it tells all about my scrapping start, my scrapping friends, you guys! ;-), and how I created the 4 Hope Health n Happiness Logo!!

Saturday, August 29, 2015

Here is your freebie for today...as always the link is at the bottom, BUT, PLEASE, take the time to read this very special, very personal update from me...it will help you understand why I have been away from scrapping for so long.If you can't help by purchasing...it would help a ton if you log into your Facebook and SHARE the Facebook post at the bottom of this blog post. Every share will help!To all my fans who had followed me for such a long time, I sincerely appreciate your loyalty. If you have been with me for a long time I know you are aware of my reasons for being absent. I took time off to focus on finding ways to heal Brady. If you are just joining me for todays freebie, I hope you will stay long enough to read this VERY PERSONAL note from me.

I am a proud person, and I am very uncomfortable with asking for help. In the past I had created the "Hope For Brady" kit to help our autistic son Brady get an iPad, and the app "Proloquo2go" to help him communicate since he is essentially non verbal. With the help of many of my scrapping friends, WE DID THAT!! He got his iPad and the app which has significantly reduced his frustration when he is trying to tell us something. There have been many times when we just can't figure out what he wants and we either pull out the iPad or one of our phones (the app is compatible with our phones too, so no matter where we are we always have a way to communicate with Brady) and he can scroll through the app (like a wiz, I might add, he knows where everything is!) to find exactly what he is trying to tell us!

But now we need your help again. A very good friend of mine had suggested we use one of those fund raising web sites that are out there to get the help we now need. But, I am not comfortable with that idea because I don't want people to feel obligated or to have their conscious guilt them into feeling like they need to donate. When I see things like that posted on Facebook or where ever, that is how I feel, and I don't like feeling like that. So I don't want you to feel that way either. I don't want to ask for anyones charity. I would never feel OK about just asking for monetary donations. I know this is kind of similar, I am asking for help except I feel better about it because anyone who does help...gets something in return. It is not like I am just asking for handouts. I still feel a little funny about asking for ANY help, but somehow doing it this way doesn't wound my pride as much...if that makes sense?

I know this post will be long, and many of you may just skip to the bottom to get the freebie...but if you do read this post and it touches you in some way, PLEASE, PLEASE share it with everyone you know. Post on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest and anywhere else you can think of to help us...every little bit will help! The more people who see it the more help we may get.

Many of you know that I stopped scrapping because I started a school program to help learn ways that I could help Brady naturally. I wanted to learn everything I could since we had experienced such positive changes in Brady's behavior as a result of our use of essential oils. The changes were so amazing and I thought if something that simple could help...what else was out there??

I took a break over the summer from my studies so that Hubby and I could test a theory. You see, Brady has always been drawn to water. Most autistic kids are all drawn to water. We have one of those Intex above ground pools. Whenever Brady is in the pool his engagement with the rest of the family goes up 10 fold. He has better eye contact, and his verbal attempts go up significantly. Like if he wants you to toss him in the water, you can say "One" and he will finish with his approximations of "Two, Three"! I have often wondered if there was more to his draw to the water.

So I went on a hunt for answers, looking for other autistic families with similar experiences. If you do a Google search for "autism and the ocean" you will find tons of interesting stories. I know that the ocean can have amazing effects on the mind, body and souls of many"normal" people, let alone people with disabilities. I thought wow! This makes sense! But it was not until we decided to leave our comfort zone and plan what we thought was a risky trip with an autistic child that we found out just how significantly Brady would be effected by the ocean.

We decided to take the plunge and planned our first family vacation to Hawaii the summer of 2015. Hubby and I arranged to each get 3 weeks off from our jobs to give enough time to see if the ocean could have a REAL healing effect on Brady. We were terrified of how Brady would handle such a long flight. If you are reading this I am sure you are thinking "Why would you choose Hawaii, when there other places like California and Florida that are closer?!" Well, the reason we chose Hawaii over any other location has many reasons, but here are our top three.

1. Hawaii is isolated from most of the world and for the most part the waters around Hawaii are clean, clear, and free from most pollution, unlike many of the ocean waters around the mainland.

2. The people of Maui county went up against Monsanto (and WON!) last year to keep GMO crops off the island, which limits the water supplies contamination from neurotoxic pesticides.

3. The people and the culture. The people of Hawaii hold their values of family and love of the land and ocean above all else. They believe if you take care of the land and the ocean it will take care of you.

We figured we were going on this trip in an attempt to free Brady's mind from his toxic burden we needed to choose a pure, clean place. We had to be sure the location we chose would not compete with, or cancel out any benefits of that goal.

The reaction we saw in Brady as a result of his 3 weeks on Maui was extraordinary!

He said sooo many words, CLEAR as day, that he never said before. "Beach", "Ocean", "Couch", "Moon", "Turtle"...and many many more. Hubby and I were shocked when he pointed at the rising moon and said "moon"! Completely un prompted! In our short time on Maui we found we were constantly nudging each other and saying "DID YOU HEAR WHAT BRADY JUST SAID??!" He is also showed preferences for things. Like one morning we asked if he wanted waffles, normally he would respond with one word. Either "Yes" or "No" But this time he said "No, pancakes". WOW, both our jaws dropped to the floor!!

Here is a video of Brady saying "Beach"! For most people this might not be a big deal but for us it is HUGE!

He was also more engaged with all of us and spent less time in his own world. HUGE improvements in the three weeks we were there!! Hubby and I couldn't help but wonder what more time there would do for him? Here is a picture of Hubby and the boys...Brady rarely looks and the camera, and this picture is priceless because he is actually HUGGING his brother! I love it!

My theory for why Brady seemed so alert and clear minded may be due to him being in the ocean everyday. The ocean is full of minerals that are absorbed through our skin. One of the major minerals in the ocean is magnesium. Magnesium has been shown to reduce the toxins in the bodies of autistic kids, and anyone else for that matter. That is why they recommend Epsom salt baths for autistic kids. For more info on the effects of magnesium, Google "magnesium detox autism" Many times autistic kids do not get the magnesium they need because many of them are plagued by a "leaky gut". That is a topic for another post but for now lets just establish that many autistic kids can not absorb the magnesium they need from their diets, so most of them are deficient in many vitamins and minerals. BUT when Brady was in the ocean for an hour or two per day the magnesium, and other vitamins and minerals, were absorbed through his largest organ...his SKIN! I think the effects of the ocean, essentially the magnesium and other minerals helped to clear his mind while we were there. Unfortunately since we have been home he has seemed to be retreating a little. He is wanting to spend more time alone in his room again, and that bums me out. We try to keep him present in our world, but somedays it is a constant struggle. It feels like he was emerging from a really long dark tunnel only to get sucked back in.

With all that said, because of all of this Hubby and I have been seriously considering a permanent move to Maui. In the past we always just considered this a "pipe dream" one we would entertain if we ever "won the lottery" yeah...right. That is 1 in a billion chance. But with everything that happened for Brady while we were there we are more seriously considering trying to find a way to make it work, no matter what we have to sacrifice. We can't help but think that if Brady can be closer to normal someday, not only does he have a better chance at a good life, but so do the rest of us. If Brady is closer to normal, then Piper and Hayden won't miss out on so much because of things we can't do because of their brothers disability. Hubby and I had.....I don't want to say given up hope, but at the very least we had been nearing acceptance that Brady might be dependent on us for the rest of his life. We love him and would gladly take care of him as long as we both live...but accepting this meant giving up on all the hopes and dreams we have for him. Things like him falling in love, getting married and living a life of his own...maybe even having kids of his own someday. A very basic hope for your child that most people take for granted. BUT, because of the magic of Maui we feel like there is again a glimmer of hope for the possibility of a fulfilling independent life for him again.

Here is our dilemma: It is really, really expensive there. A house like our house in MN on Maui would cost so much more then our home in MN. Of course we don't need as big of a house if we move there, we can get by with a lot less. We are definitely willing to make sacrifices and get by with less "stuff", BUT, we struggle with being unsure if leaving our jobs and the safety of our comfort zone is the right thing to do. We both have very good jobs. I have had my job for 13 years and Hubby has had his for 10 years. We have talked about maybe asking to take a 6 month leave of absence from our jobs and giving this a trial run, to see if Maui really can help heal Brady's mind. We even thought we could cash out our pension plans to make this happen. We started formulating a possible plan for sometime in the next 6 months to a year asking for leaves from our work, renting a house on Maui, get jobs out there (we still have bills to pay while we are there), and try to see if this change would really make a difference for Brady. We had it all figured out. We were going to keep our house in MN and continue to pay the mortgage for the six months...just in case things didn't work out as we hope. This way we have our jobs and home to come back too. Great plan right? The responsible path, right? BUT, the snag is...in order to have the funds to give this a shot we would have to quit our jobs. We can not touch our retirement accounts unless we terminate our employment. That scares us, I am not sure for the sake of all of our children that we can risk it all like that. If we had a crystal ball and we knew for sure that this would change Brady's life, we would sacrifice ANYTHING and EVERYTHING to make it happen. In less then a heartbeat, done, on the plane tomorrow! But, unfortunately we don't have a crystal ball. :-(

I know that many of you may be thinking that this is a long shot...and why should you help us move to Maui...even temporarily, right? Even I would think that if I were reading this instead of you. I would be thinking "right, I doubt anything can produce that kind of change in someone" Trust me I kept asking Hubby the same thing..."Am I just hearing and thinking this because I want so desperately for Brady to have a normal life"? Honestly I kept thinking that in the beginning...but then all the new words kept coming, and he seemed to be more present in our world then ever before. We couldn't just chalk it up to wishful thinking anymore. We had to admit that Maui was indeed a magical place for our son. He was emerging from an 8 year fog, and it was truly AMAZING to see! Just thinking about it now gives me the chills and brings tears to my eyes!

Here is where I ask for your help...if we can raise enough funds to make it so we can keep our house and jobs and still give this a real chance for success that would be best. If we can raise enough to do the six month trial then we will for SURE know if the waters of Maui can heal Brady. As I write this I know how unreal this all sounds, and I would not have believed it if I had not seen it with my own two eyes! The healing was real! Even his case worker at the autism school he attends commented on how Brady's vocabulary and spontaneous language has exploded since we went on vacation. I actually asked her to prepare some data so we can see the proof. If I get that I will share it with you all! I just don't think it is a coincidence! I would never feel right asking for handouts. But, I feel like if I you are getting something in exchange for your help, it doesn't feel as much like I am that lady holding up a sign begging for money. Doing it this way makes me feel a little less ashamed for asking for your help.

We could do this without help, if we quit our jobs and go all in, cash out our retirement plans, and sell our house...but with 3 kids, that just does not seem like the responsible thing to do. We need to make sure this is the right thing to do before we give up everything. If it turns out the way we hope, Maui will become our permanent home. I am hoping that if this story touches you in any way you will be willing to help.

SO, I am putting "Hope For Brady" out there again. I know many of my loyal followers might already have the kit. But if you do, and you just want to help by buying it again...that would be sincerely appreciated. Or buy something you don't already have. :-)

There are several levels of helping. and EVERY little bit will help! It all adds up! So please just help at a level that you are comfortable with!

**But please note that due to the paypal fees that are collected on every purchase the store cart has a $1.00 minimum.**

If you don't scrapbook, but would like to learn...an easy program for doing digital scrapbooking is My Memories. AND since I am a designer at their store I can get you a discount on the software if you use this CODE:

Lastly, I really would prefer that you get something in return for helping...BUT, if none of these options interest you because you don't scrapbook and you have no desire to do so, but you still want to help Brady in some way, you can donate through your paypal account to mine by clicking on the "send money" tab at the top of your paypal account. Just be sure to click on the "send money to friends and family" option or paypal will take a portion of your donation as a fee. You can send a donation to mdabacon@gmail.comWhat ever option you choose to help, please know that we sincerely appreciate any and all help you are willing to provide. With your help we will have a chance for a renewed HOPE for a functional future for our son!

For all my loyal fans...even though it has been a very long time since you saw anything new from me...I have TWO new kits at the store that were previously only exclusive to the My Memories Store!To get "Gone Fishing" CLICK HERE

Thanks for reading all of that, it is not easy to share something so personal, and it is especially not easy to ask friends, and friends of friends for help, so thanks for taking your time to read our update on Brady!PLUS...as a GIANT THANK YOU from me, if you purchase the "Hope For Brady MEGA Bundle" OR the "Buy My Store" Deal from today on (does not apply to past purchases)...you will get a group discount of 25% automatically added to ALL of your future purchases FOREVER! Please consider one of those options. :-)

Plus...if you have any interest in the natural medicine, aromatherapy, and wellness coaching things I am learning, I am posting on this blog. I try to post as I learn...but sometimes life gets in the way. You can sign up for the newsletter in the top right corner of that blog to get an e-mail when I do post.

Come learn with me!!

Be sure to read this POST it tells all about my scrapping start, my scrapping friends, and how I created the 4 Hope Health n Happiness Logo!!

Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Did you know that if you click "LIKE" on this 4 My Babies Scraps FAN page...you can get this fan kit TOTALLY FREE!!!?Then stop by the store, because until I get a chance to design a new kit, EVERYTHING is 50% off!(well, almost everything, SALE excludes charity kits, and CU products)***PLEASE NOTE with prices THIS LOW, there will be a fee of $1.00 on order totals BELOW $1.50 (this is ONLY because I get charged from paypal on each transaction)No worries though...with prices this low...I know you will want to stock up, and you will have no problem reaching the $1.50 minimum! :-)***

You have to click "LIKE" before you can download the kit, then: click on the kit image to download!